Amnesty International’s report confirms it: most of the companies producing batteries with cobalt extracted in the Democratic Republic of Congo are not able to tell where such mineral comes from and if it’s linked to child labour or not.

No more conflict minerals

For this reason, Intel has carried out a certification programme for its entire supply chain. Thanks to collaborations with NGOs operating in Congo – one of the countries with the highest amount of minerals such as cobalt, tungsten and gold -, which audit that mines respect human rights and teh companies' values and ethical standards, Intel is now able to certify that its raw materials have ethical origin.

Gold mine

"Without owning the mines ourselves we can't be sure 100%, all the time, every day,” said Carolyn Duran, supply chain sustainability supervisor at Intel, to Co.Exist. "We want to maintain a presence in the region, source responsibly, and help the people on the ground”. Therefore, the profits from mines have started flowing to miners themselves rather than to warlords. According to a study of the association Enough Project, armed groups’ profits from the trade in tin, tantalum, and tungsten registered a 65% drop over the past two years. Moreover, extraction of minerals like cobalt is contended by different militias that often use slaves and children.
This is only a first step, as we are still way too far from solving conflicts triggered by mineral processing affecting countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. Hopefully, Intel’s example may be followed by other companies.